Friday Blues Picks (9/18/26)

Friday Blues Fix returns with a few reviews of new blues that you can use.  As always, most of these albums have already or will be reviewed in much more detail at the site where I usually contribute, Blues Bytes.  I have been contributing reviews there for 26 years (this month) and Bill Mitchell has done an outstanding job on the site for nearly 30 years.  Bill also does a weekly blues show on various stations, a mix of new and classic blues, that is a great listen for any blues fan, so check it out.  Stations are listed at Blues Bytes' website.  

This week, we have a nice collection of new releases that deserve to be heard, so let's check them out!

I discovered Iowa blues man Kevin Burt several years ago via his 2018 release Heartland & Soul.  Burt won the 2018 I.B.C. Solo/Duo Award, the Cigar Box Guitar Award for best guitarist, and the Lee Oskar Award for best harmonica player.  In addition to being an excellent guitarist and harmonica player, he has a wonderous voice that fits snugly in the blues and soul categories with a quality that will remind listeners of Bill Withers at times (Burt actually released a Withers tribute album a couple of years ago).

His latest release, This Trip, is his fifth release overall and his third for Gulf Coast Records.  Recorded in Waterloo, Iowa, the album is a solo effort by Burt.....voice, guitar, and  harmonica.  It's his most personal release to date, with songs that focus on love, heartbreak, jubilation, fear, resolve and determination.  These are songs that will speak to anyone who listens because they've experienced these same feelings in their lives....several of these songs hit home to me in a powerful way.

Even though it is a solo effort, the album has a huge sound.  Burt's commanding vocals, guitar, and harmonica are all that's needed on these superb songs, impeccably recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael Cutsforth.  Burt's musical approach incorporates blues, soul, roots, and folk and I have to admit that I've listened to this one pretty regularly since it arrived.  Chances are pretty good that Kevin Burt's music will speak to you like it spoke to me.  It's a trip worth taking!

The Gerry Hundt Trio is made up of multi-instrumentalist Gerry Hundt (John-Alex Mason, Nick Moss, The Cash Box Kings, Corey Dennison, The Dig 3), Belgium bassist/harmonica player Renaud Lesire (Bobby Rush, John Primer, Johnny Dyer, James Harmon, Junior Watson, Candice Ivory, Sean Mack McDonald), and Luxembourg drummer Tom Lehnert (The Nightcrawlers, Pugsley Buzzard, Big Dave, Fred Baretto).  Pretty impressive portfolios for all three of these guys for blues fans, so their latest release, One More For Me,  is highly recommended for blues and roots fans.

The album was recorded live in the studio in Luxembourg during a recent tour, with ten tracks, five written by Hundt, two by the trio, and three covers.  The whole album sounds like it was a blast to record, just three friends having a good time playing the blues, with songs that bring to mind Chicago blues artists like Lil' Ed Williams, Magic Slim (listen below), Earl Hooker, and Bo Diddley.  The covers are tunes by Eddie C. Campbell, Tampa Red, and Johnny Young, so you can see that the band covers a wide variety of blues styles.

This is a very enjoyable album with great instrumental work and solid original songs.  It sounds like a very loose session that feels very relaxed and that feeling carries over to the listeners.  If you enjoy listening to this album, be sure to check out Hundt's recent work with The Dig 3.

Walk That Walk is one of the more prominent bands on the Boston blues scene.  Their core sound touches on Chicago and Detroit blues.  The band spent years serving as the touring band behind Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, and also backed harmonica ace Carey Bell for a time.  Led by Poppa C DeSnyder, who plays guitar, slide, dobro and handles vocals, the band has a potent attack, as evidenced by their recent release, The Lifer.

The Lifer features seven songs written or co-written by DeSnyder, plus one cover.  The originals are a pretty diverse set, ranging from blues shuffles to blues rockers to old school rock n' rollers and the splendid cover tune is a classic Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green-era) tune that features guitarist on lead vocals. 

The entire set offers well-crafted, well-played tunes that show that Walk That Walk certainly deserves their acclaim as one of the New England area's finest blues bands. 

I was a late arrival to the music of the Grateful Dead.  My first real experience was their In the Dark album in '87 or so, but I'd heard a few songs on the radio, such as "Sugar Magnolia," "Casey Jones," and "Truckin'."  I guess their catalog intimidated me a bit because I wasn't sure where to start listening, but about ten or twelve years ago, my friend Joe, who has done guest posts a few times here at FBF, sent me a mix CD with some of their tunes, deep cuts if you will, that really showed the band's love of blues as well as soul, jazz, country, folk, bluegrass and just about every other genre of music.

Guitarist J.P. Reali began listening much sooner than I did, hearing his babysitter's copy of Shakedown Street when he was a kid and attending multiple Dead concerts during high school and college.  It didn't hurt that his parents were Grateful Dead fans, and other genres as well, including blues, so it does make sense that  he was drawn to their music.  Reali recently released Grateful Blues (Reali Records), a six-song EP that gathers a few fan favorites as well as a couple of deep cuts that really show the band's blues roots.

I knew a few of these songs, most date back to the band's heyday in the early/mid 70's and, like the band, Reali plays around with these songs, venturing into Delta blues, Piedmont blues, and even Texas blues with his stellar guitar work, but all of the songs are still reverential to the Dead's versions.  Reali's vocals are a good fit, too...he reminds me a bit of Bob Weir on several tunes.  There are not any real marathon jam tunes like usually associated with the Dead....this is an EP after all.....but there's plenty here to satisfy Dead fans and maybe lure a few newcomers to dig into the Grateful Dead's catalog, and Reali's impressive catalog while they're at it.

Our Blast From The Past review doesn't go too far back into the past, actually the summer of 2025, but it's an album that deserves some attention.  For some reason, it escaped me that Clifton Chenier's 100th birthday would have been in June of 2025.  Chenier, who passed away in 1987, is still regarded as the King of Zydeco nearly 40 years after he left this mortal coil.  He pretty much invented zydeco, taking the Creole house dance music called "La La" and giving it a boost with horns, organ, blues, and R&B and kept the train rolling with his masterful accordion.  It is almost impossible to hear a Clifton Chenier song and not smile or move your feet.

How big was Clifton Chenier, you ask?  Well, Velcour Records released A Tribute to the King of Zydeco last June and nowhere to be found on the front cover is Chenier's name, only his picture.  That really says it all.  Steve Earle, Joel Savoy, and John Leopold gathered an all-star ensemble to pay tribute to the king.  Their names are listed on the cover, including The Rolling Stones, Charlie Crockett, Taj Mahal, Tommy McClain and Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Jon Cleary, Kam Franklin, Shannon McNally, David Hidalgo, Jimmy Vaughan, Johnny Nicholas, Ruben Ramos, Marcia Ball, and Sonny Landreth are just a few of the artists who participated.

Joining them were many of the current Cajun/zydeco artists, such as accordionists Steve Riley, Nathan Williams, Keith Frank, Anthony Dopsie, Curley Taylor, Roddie Romero, and Chenier's son C.J., who also sings on one track.  The late Lee Allen Zeno plays bass on several tracks, as does drummer Robert St. Julien.  This is a marvelous set of tunes, all written by or associated with Chenier over his lengthy career.  Like the Grateful Dead tribute mentioned above, this set should get new listeners interested in the timeless music of Clifton Chenier (if you can find a copy of the Rhino Records retrospective Zydeco Dynamite, you will just about have it covered) as well as a lot of the current group of zydeco artists.  Trust me, if you ever start listening, you will not want to stop!

We are just getting started here at Friday Blues Fix.  There are even more exciting new releases to check out, so come back next week!

"Rock Awhile" by Goree Carter - The First Rock n' Roll Song?????

Everyone is aware that rock n' roll has deep roots in the blues.  For a long time, I've heard that the first rock n' roll song was "Rocket 88," recorded in 1951 and credited to Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats, a.k.a.  Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm (Brenston played sax in the band and provided vocals), but there have been others that have also received consideration over the years, such as Roy Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight," recorded in 1947, Jimmy Preston's "Rock This Joint" from 1949, and "Saturday Night Fish Fry," recorded by Louis Jordan in 1949.  

Those three songs were released a couple of years ahead of "Rocket 88," but the latter tune is usually acknowledged as the "first" song, based on the distorted guitar (guitarist Willie Kizart's amplifier was damaged during the drive to Memphis to record and wadded-up newspaper was stuffed into the amplifier, causing the distorted sound unintentionally) added to the rollicking Ike Turner piano-driven rhythm, which is similar to the Brown and Jordan tunes.  Sam Phillips recorded "Rocket 88" and licensed it to Chess Records and the record reached #1 and sold around a half million copies.  Phillips used profits from the record to start Sun Records in 1952.

All things considered, there's a good argument for "Rocket 88" as the first rock n' roll song, but what if I told you that there was an even earlier candidate for rock n' roll's first song.

Goree Carter

In 1949, 18-year-old Houston native Goree Carter recorded "Rock Awhile" for the Houston label Freedom Records.  Like many guitarists of his time, Carter was heavily influenced by T-Bone Walker, who was also a Texas native, but was also the top electric blues guitarist in the country during that time.  The Freedom label was owned by Solomon Kahal, who also owned the Eldorado Ballroom in Houston.  Carter and his band, The Hepcats performed frequently there, and Kahal, like most R&B label owners at the time, was looking for a guitarist to match the popularity of Walker.

Carter's first couple of sides for Freedom were more or less in the style of Walker, but for his second session he decided to move in a different direction, much to the chagrin of Kahal.  "Rock Awhile" included a guitar introduction that would be used by Chuck Berry from the mid-50's onward.  The guitar had a mean, distorted quality and his band provided a propulsive driving rhythm behind it with piano, horns, and drums giving the feeling of a runaway train.  Now, this sound may have been a part of other Texas guitarists' musical approach at the time, but Carter was the first to put it on record.

Here's what the late author Robert Palmer said in his 1995 book Rock & Roll:  An Unruly History:

“The clarion guitar intro differs hardly at all from some of the intros Chuck Berry would unleash on his own records after 1955; the guitar solo crackles through an overdriven amplifier; and the boogie-based rhythm charges right along. The subject matter, too, is appropriate — the record announces that it’s time to ‘rock awhile,’ and then proceeds to show how it’s done. To my way of thinking, Carter’s ‘Rock Awhile’ is a much more appropriate candidate for ‘first rock and roll record’ than the more frequently cited ‘Rocket ’88’.”

Despite his and the label's efforts, "Rock Awhile" didn't chart nationally, but Carter and his band remained a popular attraction in the South, and he continued to release singles for Freedom until the label folded in 1950, later cutting sides for Imperial, Bayou, Sittin' In With, Jade, and Coral.  He was drafted in 1953 and served a little over a year in Korea.  When he returned, he signed with Modern Records, where he released several more fine sides before leaving the business altogether in 1954.  

Carter with Joe "Guitar" Hughes - 1984 (photo by Alan Govenar)

Despite the quality of his recordings, nothing ever hit the charts or attracted any attention outside of the South, which may have accounted for his leaving the music business, never to return to performing.  In the late 80's, I saw a short article about Carter in Alan Govenar's excellent book Meeting the Blues:  The Rise of the Texas Sound, which was later revised and expanded into the even-better Texas Blues:  The Rise of a Contemporary Sound, He was pretty bitter in the interview, done by Govenar in 1984, as can be seen from the quote below, so it more or less explains why he gave up the music some thirty years earlier.

“Then I had a lot [of songs] that I just tore up, and they were good songs. I tore them up because they wouldn’t let me cut them. They said I was ahead of myself. So I destroyed them. If I can’t perform them, then I’ll do like Moses did with the Ten Commandments. Can’t live by it, die by it.”

Carter never attempted a revival beyond playing a few local gigs in Houston, including sitting in with B.B. King.  His last known live performance was in 1970.  There were some efforts by others to get him started up again in the mid 80's, but he never could be convinced to return to the stage or the studio.  He died in 1990 in Houston, at the house where he was born.  Even during his recording and performing days, he never gave up his job working at the Comet Rice Mill in Houston, staying there until the company shut down in 1986.  In 1999, part of the old mill was converted into an indoor/outdoor venue that hosts music events, called The Silo.  

For a good taste of Goree Carter's recorded work, including "Rock Awhile," blues fans are encouraged to check out the Jasmine Records collection, Let's Rock Awhile 1949 - 1951, which gathers sides from Freedom, Bayou, Imperial, Sittin' In With, Jade, and Coral Records.  Carter's musical approach was influenced by T-Bone Walker, but his guitar work had a rougher edge that Walker's smooth, almost jazzy style, and it indirectly paved the way for the sounds to come.  There's also a two-volume set on Blue Moon Records.  The first volume captures most of the Jasmine set and the second volume, which is divided between him and Texas guitarist Lester Williams ("I Can't Lose With The Stuff I Use"), has nine songs by Carter, a few that are on the Jasmine set as well.

"Rock Awhile" is usually not recognized as the first rock n' roll song.  More than likely, it's due to the fact that it was recorded and released by what would be considered a regional label (Freedom Records), so it didn't receive the attention or sell on the scale of other records that are usually associated as the first songs of rock n' roll.  

Therefore, while it might not be recognized as the record that put rock n' roll on the map, it should definitely enter the discussion of being the FIRST rock n' roll record.  

 

Friday Blues Picks (9/4/26)

 

Friday Blues Fix returns with a couple of brand new releases, plus one you might have missed the first time around.  

As always, these albums will be reviewed in much more detail at the site where I usually contribute reviews, Blues Bytes.  I have been contributing reviews there for over 25 years and Bill Mitchell has done an outstanding job on the site for nearly 30 years.  Bill also does a weekly blues show on various stations, a mix of new and classic blues, that is a great listen for any blues fan, so check it out.  Stations are listed at Blues Bytes' website.

The Austin blues club Antone's has been celebrating its 50th anniversary for a bit now, releasing a massive box set last year (Antone's:  50 Years Of The Blues), which included The Last Real Texas Blues Album (also sold seperately and reviewed by FBF here).  They recently released Antone's 50th Presents:  Chicago Bound:  Honoring Muddy, Cliff & Blue (Blues Till 2 Recording Co./Select-O-Hits), which collects ten more songs from the Antone's 50th Allstars that continue the commemoration of the big 50th anniversary, plus an audio clip from Clifford Antone, who says "The blues is so big that no one person could ever learn it in a lifetime."

There are some really cool tracks here, several associated with Muddy Waters and Bobby "Blue" Bland, from an all-star cast....John Primer, Lil' Ed Williams, Doyle Bramhall II, Kim Wilson and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Anson Funderburgh, Lurrie Bell, and 95-year-old Miss Lavelle White.  Also contributing are drummer Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith, vocalist Kam Franklin and drummer Rodd Bland (Bobby's son).

Everything here is a winner, but two tracks are very interesting.  Billy Gibbons and the BFG's perform the brand new Gibbons original "Hangin' on a Cliff," a gritty blues rocker dedicated to Antone, that was released as the first single.  There's also a cool Clifton Chenier track called "One Step at a Time" that features quite a band.... Ivan Neville, C.C. Adcock sharing vocals, with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on guitars, Steve Riley on accordion and, get this, JIMMIE VAUGHAN on harmonica.  There are a lot of wonderful moments on this release.  Trust me, you need this in your collection!

Anyone who's visited this site over the past 16 years probably knows what a big Eddie Cotton fan I've been since I heard his amazing Live at the Alamo Theatre release in the early 2000's.  He is really the total package....an outstanding vocalist, a masterful guitarist, and a great songwriter.  His roots are in the church, where his dad was a preacher, and that's where he developed his style.  He won the 2015 I.B.C. and was the recipient of the 2025 Mississippi Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in Music.  

His brand new release (out today) is Bubble Gum Lover on Malaco Records and it's as good as any album he's cut.  I've always been amazed at the quality of his work.....there's never been a downswing at all on any of his releases.  They're as good or better than their predecessors.  Bubble Gum Lover is no exception.  Cotton cut this album with his band and he continues to explore and expand upon blues subjects that are familiar, but he always adds his own personal touch to his songs.

He's a great guitarist and songwriter, as mentioned, but his vocals have always been the real deal as far as blues or soul music goes.  He really applies those gospel roots to his voice and he sells every song to the utmost.  You really can't go wrong with any of Eddie Cotton's releases...any of them are a great starting point....and Bubble Gum Lover is as good a place to start as any of them, but trust me when I say you will want to dig deeper once you've heard this talented blues man.  The album can be picked up from the platform of your choice at this link, or you can possibly grab a CD by contacting the Malaco Records site.  Below are a couple of preview clips, along with "Feet on The Floor," the album's opening cut.  You can also enjoy a recent Eddie Cotton track from the Jacktown USA album that ties in with the book of the same title (all reviewed by FBF here), which includes a chapter on Cotton.

Our Blast from the Past selection dates back to my earliest days listening to the blues.  One of the earliest blues albums that I loved was Talk to Your Daughter (Warner Brothers Records) by guitarist Robben Ford.  When I picked it up at the record store, one of the workers told me that I needed to buy it, so I did.  I didn't know anything about Ford, but he'd been playing the blues since the age of 18, backing Charlie Musselwhite and recording two albums with his brothers (The Charles Ford Band).  He also recorded with Jimmy Witherspoon, and recorded for jazz fusion bands L.A. Express and the Yellowjackets.  He also worked with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Bonnie Raitt, Kiss, and many, many others.

Talk to Your Daughter was his second solo album and it was released in 1988.  It was a return to his blues roots with nine songs, including several blues classics that he reshapes with his crisp, concise fretwork.  His guitar playing is a wonder throughout the disc and he also provides fine vocals.  This album was one that came at an opportune time for me.  I had listened to a lot of jazz guitar over the previous five or six years and started listening to the blues for real around 1986.  Ford managed to straddle blues, rock, and jazz with his sound and it really hit me hard..... I still love to hear this album on a regular basis.  I think anyone who wants to learn to play guitar would do well listening to a Robben Ford album, and Talk to Your Daughter is a great place to start.

Being a late 80's release, a few songs have synthesizers on them, but they aren't the really cheesy type that were prevalent back in those days, and the album really doesn't have a dated sound to it.  His brother Mark plays harmonica on a couple of tracks and Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro guests on a track apiece.  My favorite track is a cover of Charlie Singleton's "Help the Poor," that's irresistibly funky and should put a hop in any listener's step.  Ford's guitar solo is just superb and there's plenty more great guitar to be heard on Talk to Your Daughter.